NCDP CLIPS FOR August 7, 2014

Kay talks about what’s at stake in 2014: WJZY talked to Kay in Charlotte at #NationalNightOut about what’s at stake in this race. Watch here.

People’s Biz: Civitas Institute says Kay Hagan has a 2-point lead over Thom Tillis: The latest poll by conservative Civitas Institute of Raleigh shows U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan up by two percentage points over Republican challenger Thom Tillis. Read more here.

NORTH CAROLINA

Pope stepping down as state budget chief: Having shepherded a second state budget through the legislative process, State Budget Director Art Pope will step down in early September, Gov. Pat McCrory announced Wednesday. Read more here.

House, Senate disagree on August session: House leaders say they’re planning to call their members back on Aug. 14 for a full session, but it’s not clear yet what they’ll be voting on. Meanwhile, Senate leaders say they’re not coming back in August at all. Read more here.

Future NC budgets won’t be tied to public school enrollment: A little-noticed addition to the state budget may have far-reaching consequences for education spending. As future budgets are constructed, the state will no longer automatically pay for growth in public school enrollment. Read more here.

Will feds overrule NC lawmakers and regulators on keeping fracking chemicals secret?: The ongoing and fairly remarkable debate over whether the oil and gas industry can prevent the public (and even emergency first responders) from knowing the names of the chemicals that go into the toxic stews that are injected underground in the controversial process known as fracking may be taking a promising turn. Read more here.

Fired Up Democrats Unveil A List Of Bills They Will Pass If They Take Back The House: House Democrats are on the warpath. They’ve upped the ante against House Republicans by coming up with an entire slate of legislation meant to address the actual concerns of actual citizens. They’re calling it Middle Class Jumpstart. It’s meant to jumpstart the middle class and those trying to get into the middle class. Read more here.

University President Takes Huge Pay Cut To Give School’s Minimum-Wage Workers A Raise: Two dozen low-wage workers at Kentucky State University (KSU) will get a raise to $10.25 an hour after the school’s interim president asked for his pay to be cut by about 25 percent, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. The workers currently make as little as $7.25 an hour, the lowest wage allowed by federal law. Read more here.

In States Where It’s Wanted, Obamacare Is Working Well: Obamacare is already making a big difference in the states that actually embraced it. States that expanded Medicaid and created their own health insurance exchanges, or worked closely with the federal government to cover more people, have shown the largest drops in their uninsured rates this year, according to a new poll released by Gallup and Healthways on Tuesday. Read more here.

Target publicly endorses same-sex marriage: Target Corp. is adding its name to a legal defense of gay marriage, joining other large companies that are taking a stand, just four years after the retailer came under criticism for supporting a strident opponent of same-sex unions. Read more here.

COMMUNITY

Actor Danny Glover visits Bladen County union hall: Actor Danny Glover – best known for starring in The Color Purple and the Lethal Weapon series – visited Bladen County Wednesday in another role: activist. Glover was on hand to meet with members of the local food workers union and to support the expansion of the chapter to neighboring Robeson County. Read more here.

Chairman Randy Voller listens to Danny Glover recount his experiences growing up in a family of union activists.

UFCW Local 1208 was the lead sponsor of the 2014 Jefferson Jackson Dinner.

Schools lose $4M for teacher assistants: Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools will start the year with unfilled positions as officials work to understand the impact of amendments to the state budget passed last week by the General Assembly. The local Board of Education held a special meeting Monday to talk about the budget, which Gov. Pat McCrory said he would sign into law. Read more here.

Groups react to vote rejecting Wake County sales tax referendum: The decision by the Republican majority on the Wake County Board of Commissioners to reject holding a Nov. 4 referendum to raise the sales tax rate to fund higher salaries for teachers could impact this fall’s elections. Read more here.